Articles Archives

Closeup of the palm of the hand of a young Caucasian person with a transgender flag painted in it in front of their face.

92,000 Transgender People Took This Survey. Here’s What We Learned

by Ryan Levi April 11, 2024April 30, 2025

As lawmakers around the country take aim at transgender rights, we dig into findings from the largest survey ever of trans Americans.

A hospital bill for $36,000 with a line item of various charges is photographed with a very shallow depth of field. A credit card and a mobile device rest out of focus in the background.

Cost of Care

Surprise! Plans To Resolve High Medical Bills Are Still a Mess

by Alex Olgin March 28, 2024November 25, 2024

Patients are now mostly protected from surprise bills, but doctors and insurers are still fighting over prices.

A woman in a purple dress poses with a suitcase in front of a house, looking prepared for travel.

Health Equity

One Doctor’s Quest to Improve Health Care for People with Disabilities

by Leslie Walker March 21, 2024May 6, 2025

As adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities strive to live more freely and fully than ever before, many of America’s doctors, hospitals and insurers are getting in the way.

Sen. Bill Cassidy at press conference introducing DUALS Act of 2024

Cost of Care

Sen. Bill Cassidy Wrestles with a $500 Billion Health Care Problem

by Dan Gorenstein and Leslie Walker March 18, 2024December 1, 2024

Tradeoffs talks with Sen. Bill Cassidy about a new bipartisan effort to improve care for some of the country’s poorest, sickest patients.

U.S. Capitol building iwth the Senate Chamber in foreground.

Cost of Care

Can Washington Make Medicare and Medicaid Work Better Together?

by Leslie Walker March 14, 2024December 1, 2024

Poor, sick Americans are stuck in a Medicare-Medicaid maze. Is a fix in sight?

A hospital corridor is in the background, and a document titled "2023 Instructions for Schedule H (Form 990)" from the Department of the Treasury is in the foreground.

Health Law

How Pushing Hospitals to Give Away More Free Care Could Backfire

by Alex Olgin February 29, 2024January 14, 2025

Some lawmakers want nonprofit hospitals to give away more free care. But experts warn that could wind up being worse for patients.

Two men in blue shirts kiss a woman in a black shirt and grey sweatshirts on a covered porch. The three are siblings.

Health Law

‘She Didn’t Want to Die. But She Didn’t Want to Suffer.’

by Ryan Levi February 22, 2024May 6, 2025

A handful of states allow terminally ill patients to take life-ending medications. We talk with journalist Steven Petrow about his sister’s choice to use this option.

The United States Supreme Court building with its neoclassical façade, featuring tall columns and a triangular pediment, viewed from the front.

Health Law

5 Ways America’s Courts Could Change Health Care in 2024

by Alex Olgin February 1, 2024December 1, 2024

Key court decisions in 2024 about prescription drug prices, abortion bans, gender-affirming care and the Affordable Care Act could change the way health care is delivered in America.